Michael Akira West started Jib 686 Enterprises in 1992 as a college project. Influenced by the early skate culture in SoCal and the Big Bear snowboard scene Mike launched a small collection of denim, technical outerwear, and accessories and never looked back. In 1995 Jib 686 became just 686 and that’s when Mike launched the Smarty 3-in-1 layering system spawning more than two decades of innovation in snowboarding outerwear.
We stopped by their headquarters in Compton, CA. to talk with Mike about what it takes to start a company and grow it into one of snowboarding’s powerhouses, the business philosophy of Kaizen, and the importance of cultural influence in product design.
